The Right Choice
by Curious Rebel
Summary: When Ethan is hurt at the hands of Taylor, Cal realises how serious his situation is and just how much his baby brother means to him. A slight change to and spoilers for The King's Crossing (18/4/15).


**This is a re-write of my story 'Girlfriend or brother?' because I wasn't entirely happy with it.**

* * *

The Right Choice

* * *

I almost drop the car keys from my death grip as I watch Taylor run off across the park. The woman I love, running away from me again. I don't even give a second thought before taking off after her.

The wound in her leg slows her down considerably and her behavior becomes erratic when she realises that I'm behind her. She stumbles and falls after a short while, giving an exhausted gasp as she hits the floor.

"Taylor!" I collapse beside her, panicking. She pants for a moment before answering,

"I thought you'd be more concerned about your brother." She breathes into my face and I catch how badly her breath smells of cigarette smoke.

"What? What do you mean?" She doesn't answer except for a slight laugh as a woman - a bystander, I think - stoops beside me.

"Are you okay?" Her high-pitched voice is irritating as I think desperately of Ethan," Do we need to call an ambulance? Sir?"

"Taylor?" My voice is weak and increasingly worried," What did you do? _What did you do?_ "

A smirk is all I get in reply.

Sprinting as fast as I can back across the grass, a million things run through my head. Yet, one thought sticks out and glints just like it's subject matter - the knife. The fear and adrenaline pumps through my veins, making me run faster towards the looming brick building ahead of me.

A woman tries to stop me as I attempt to pass her in the doorway,

"You can't go in there! It's the ladies!"

I shrug her arms off me, my brotherly instincts pushing me through the door and into the small space. Barely hearing the high pitched scream from behind me, I collapse next to my blood covered brother,

"Ethan! Ethan? Ethan, can you hear me?"

I hesitate for a second before pulling him to me, cradling him against my chest. Raw emotion crawls up my throat.

"Ethan," I sob, sorrow flowing into the sound," Ethan, please."

"I'll go and call an ambulance." The girl, who I had forgotten was even there, says from behind me. I hear her fumbling in her coat pockets and mumbling incoherently as she exits. Ethan groans in my arms and I pull my attention from the gaping stab wound in his side to his innoncent face, so full of pain and betrayal.

"Cal…" He gasps, his voice is small and raspy, but it's better than anything I've ever heard.

"Ethan!" I exclaim, unable to keep the surprise and happiness from lacing my voice," What happened here, Ethan? Did Taylor do this?" and as I'm saying it, I find myself feeling more and more angry with Taylor, for _everything._

"Mmm. Knife….Caleb…..I'm sorry." He mumbles, as his attention seems to drift.

"No, no, no, Ethan. You have to stay with me, okay? I'm so sorry."

"Caleb. I'm sorry…I…didn't- I love -"

"No." I interupt, my voice stern," Don't you dare say goodbye."

Ethan chuckles through a grimace," You never were….one for…for goodbyes….Caleb."

I hold him tightly as I lean over to the medical pack that's still layed on the floor and pull out some bandages to press against his wound. He hisses slightly as I apply pressure to help stop the bleeding.

"Sorry, Eth."

" 'S'okay.." His eyes slip shut again and I find myself panicking.

"Ethan! Ethan, please," I beg, holding my little brother tight," Please, Ethan! You have to stay awake! Where's Doctor Hardy, huh?"

Ethan's eyes flash back open but a grief-like tiredness fills them and there's so much blood all over the floor and all over his clothes that I know he must be struggling to stay awake. This thought alone kicks the doctor in me back into working order. I lay Ethan gently back on the floor and I'm about to pull my coat off my back to help keep him warm when I realise it's already half-way across the park, along with Taylor. I curse under my breath, annoyance rushing through me as I think about how much I suddenly hate her. I glance at my only sibling, still fighting to stay awake,

"It's okay, Ethan." I whisper, my eyes still dancing over his face," It's okay."

As I watch him struggle, my insides wavering with a terrible dread, I can't help but wonder;

 _Have I lost him?_

 _Have I lost the last person that truly matters to me?_

* * *

Dixie arrives few minutes later and the relief that floods me is incredible. I know Ethan isn't out of the woods yet, though.

"Cal?" Dixie's concern makes me feel even more guilty as she kneels down beside me.

"I'll explain later." The tone of my voice doesn't allow room for argument and Dixie gets on with her job, but a curiously worried glint never leaves her eyes.

I watch nervously as Dixie works away at Ethan's torso, gently reassuring him as she does. I can't pay attention to her words, though, as my mind is too pre-occupied with worry and guilt to really concentrate on anything.

I hold Ethan's hand on the way back to the hospital. I can only imagine how angry Connie is going to be, but I don't care about her right now. All that matters is Ethan.

* * *

That's much harder to say, twenty minutes later, as I stand in front of the woman herself after being dragged out of RESUS and away from Ethan.

"Care to explain, Dr Knight?"

"I- It- It's complicated, Mrs Beauchamp."

"So complicated that it allows you and your brother to bunk off from work?"

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Ethan should never have been involved." My voice is strained with emotion.

"Very well." She sighs, softening," Why don't you go and have a cup of tea in the staffroom? I'll get you when we have an update on your brother."

* * *

"How is he? Charlie?" I follow the senior nurse through the ward, desperate for answers on my brother's condition. Charlie stops, his hand resting on a door handle,

"He's fine, Cal."

I let out a relieved sigh.

"But, he needs another surgery in 10 minutes. It's not urgent, so I thought you should see him first."

"Thanks, Charlie."

I hear the click of the door shutting and finally deflate. My lip wobbles and my eyes burn with emotion.

"Oh, Ethan, I'm so sorry." I glance down at his hand, my own resting just next to it. Taking a quik peak to make sure his eyes are still closed, I gently clasp his warm, soft hand in my own.

"I'm so sorry, Ethan. I love you."

There's a gentle tap on the door behind me and I don't bother to answer as the door is pushed open.

"Cal, they're here to take Ethan up to surgery." Charlie sounds a little apprehensive, and my stomach turns at the thought of my little brother under the knife.

"Okay." I whisper, scared of the looming possibilities of surgery.

Two or three nurses – who I don't recognise - creep in, Max trailing behind. Max stops just short of the bed, concern dwindling on his face.

"There's, er, someone on the phone for you at reception, says it's an emergecy." Max says, tearing his eyes from my brother to look at me.

"At reception?"

"Yep."

Someone on the phone? For me?

She wouldn't, would she?

* * *

She would, apparently. I glance around the reception area, to see if anyone can hear, I turn my back to Noel as he talks to a patient's anxious relative, oblivious to me.

"Cal, I need to see you."

"No." It slips out before I can think.

"Please just meet me behind the hospital."

"No."

"Please." I sigh, annoyed.

"Fine, then you can give me an explanation." I hiss, before slamming the phone down and exiting the hospital. But not before calling another number.

* * *

I smile and nod politely at a group of people as I slip round the back of the hospital's main building. Her familiar silhouette is leant against the wall, casually glancing around at her surroundings. She's as pretty as I can remember, but I no longer feel any kind of attraction towards her, only a bubbling anger in the pit of my stomach.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I growl, anger radiating off of me.

"I wanted to see you."

"I don't care. I don't care what you _want_. I don't care about you at all!"

"You don't mean that. Ethan was always getting in the way of us. I was fixing the situation."

"Fixing the situation?! Are you nuts?! You stabbed my little brother!"

"Yes, but we can be together now." Her sickly-sweet voice makes me feel sick to my stomach.

"No. I'd never want to be with a monster like you. You just wanted to get away." I say, finally, _finally_ , seeing her for the disgusting person behind those blue eyes.

"I know you, Cal." Her voice not so sweet anymore," I know you want to be with me!"

"What?" I almost shout, anger and realisation rushing through my mind," You think I would want you now? So you can steal more of my brother's money?"

"I didn't ask you to take his money."

"No, you didn't," I start, becoming slightly distracted by the police car that slides round the corner behind her," but I did take it. I took it because I thought I loved you, but I don't love you; I love Ethan."

I turn on my heels and walk back towards the hospital, ignoring Taylor's distressed calls as she is hauled away.

* * *

"Charlie." I breathe, relieved to have found him," How's Ethan? How did the operation go?"

"He's fine, the operation went well and he'll recover fully and completely."

"Oh, thank god!"

Charlie smiles," Well? What are you waiting for? He'll want to have you there for when he wakes up!"

I let out a relieved laugh, before taking off towards the wards above the Emergency Department.

* * *

I smile sadly as I sit at Ethan's bedside, tears pooling in my eyes. Tears of resentment, tears of fear, tears of love.

"What are we like, eh? We've gotten ourselves into some fine messes over the years- " But that's not true, is it? "Well, _I_ have. You're always there, to pick up the pieces."

I gently pick up his hand, playing with his long fingers.

"Why do I have you Ethan? I'm not complaining. I'd have to be completely stupid to complain about you. I just don't deserve you. I just wish-" I stop to sniff and wipe my eyes," I just wish there was some way to show you how much you mean to me. I always manage to push you away and mess thing up, but you bounce back, help me, try to make things right. I'm sorry I was never there for you. I'm here now. I promise."

So, in an attempt to make it up to Ethan for all he has done, I sit at his bedside. I speak to him, I apologise, I laugh about things that happened in the past, I wait for him to wake up.

I love every inch of Ethan and, in the end, I know I made the right choice.


End file.
